Sutton Junction Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Hello my fellow RMwebers, After getting back into model trains just over 2 years ago I have wanted to create a model railway of my own in some form. I have watched lots of great videos on Youtube and have read many layout threads on here which have inspired me to bring my ideas in to reality. I have planned for around a year what I would like to build but due to work and other commitments I have struggled to find the time give a project like this my all. I have also done a lot of research on the local stations where I plan to base my scene. I really didnt want to begin somthing but then not be able to complete it as I dont see the point in wasting time and money in that way. Now at long last I have found or should I say made the time as I cant control the urge any longer!!!. One thing im not sure of is my modelling skill as I have never made anything like this before, unless you count Airfix kits as a young child!!!, so I have decided to start small. What I basically want from this project is a small scenic section which will fit into my current setup and allow me to run trains through it and also to test how good I am at creating a realistic enviroment for my trains to live in. I plan to use this as a learning curve to improve my skills. Please feel free to check out my YouTube channel to get an idea of where this project will fit into my current layout and also to see what stock I have. My username is - ApacheBravo. I plan to create a small station based loosly on the Woodhead line towards the Manchester Piccadilly end. I want to create the effect of Guide Bridge, Dinting and Hadfield stations in Sutton Junction with my own little additions to make it my own. I want to give the effect of a station that was busy and an important part of the town it served 40 years ago but has since had its operations scaled down to just a local level rather than national. I also plan to have the skeleton of the old station but renevated and upgraded to a 21st centuary standard if that makes sense. I want it to show its age yet be modern at the same time. The base for all this will be a 5ft x 2ft plank of 10mm MDF. I plan to have a 2 track mainline running through with 2 platforms which will be able to hold a 4 possibly 5 carriage train if space allows. These will still be in use and on the 2nd platform side im going to create the effect of a 3rd platform which is disused and fenced off. On the side of the 3rd platform I want to make it look as though a line ran from it but has since been dug up and even later after that sidings have been relayed in its place. Im also considering building a road bridge at one end to add depth and interest. I have a few other ideas for a few little things to fill the gaps such as a Network Rail yard, ballast storage yard and extending the station area to create a car park and bus terminus. These last few ideas will be finalised once the main bulk of the layout is built. For the platforms and station building I am using Metcalfe card kits, Country Station and brick platforms. For 2 reasons - 1, they are fairly easy to put together and to build to my specification and once finsished look quite realistic. 2, they are pretty much the look I am going for. I will be using Peco code 100 concrete sleeper track and ballasting with Woodland scenics fine & medium grey blend. Also there will be various ratio and wills kits. Other scenery as in anything green and natural will be from Woodland Scenics. Although these may change as I go along, who knows!!! I will add a track plan tommorrow which should make all of what I have said easier to understand, it all sounds alot more complex than it actually is!!! Also I will start updates as I started work on it properly today. I will try my best to give regular and detailed updates as I go along. I hope you enjoy following me on this journey as much as I will be doing it!!! Any suggestions or ideas are very welcome and I want to hear your thourghts on what im doing whether it be positve or negative!!! Thanks for looking, Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 Here is a rough plan of Sutton Junction that I drew as promised Key - Purple area - This will be platform 1 and will have the main station building. Green area - This will be an island platforms 2 and 3. The 3rd platform will be disused and fenced off. Light blue area - This is the 2 mainlines that go through Sutton Junction. Red area - These are the 2 sidings that are where old lines once were. Brown area - This is a road bridge that is the width of the layout. Dark blue triangle - This will be the Network Rail yard. Orange triangle areas - These 2 areas will contain lineside AWS boxes and other equipment. Grey triangle - This area will be a green scenic area running alongside the edge of the layout. I hope this helps what I said in my last post make a bit more sense!!! Thanks for looking, Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 26, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 26, 2012 Hello my fellow RMwebers, One thing im not sure of is my modelling skill as I have never made anything like this before, unless you count Airfix kits as a young child!!!, so I have decided to start small. What I basically want from this project is a small scenic section which will fit into my current setup and allow me to run trains through it and also to test how good I am at creating a realistic enviroment for my trains to live in. I plan to use this as a learning curve to improve my skills. Please feel free to check out my YouTube channel to get an idea of where this project will fit into my current layout and also to see what stock I have. My username is - ApacheBravo. Thanks for looking, Sutty Hi Sutty. Let me be the first to reply. It seems like you've approached this the right way, looking at what was available and taking your time to set your targets. Using this project as a learning curve is a good idea - though you'll probably find you learn very quickly and your targets expand over the next few months. My current layout project has certainly been a learning curve for me, and it's that element that makes it FUN. Can you imagine churning out the same old stuff, layout after layout - boring! I'll certainly follow your progress. I am definitely not an expert, though there are many of those on the Forum that, hopefully, will contribute their views and ideas. Good luck with the plank! Btw, are you using DCC or DC here? Cheers, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Hi Sutty. Let me be the first to reply. It seems like you've approached this the right way, looking at what was available and taking your time to set your targets. Using this project as a learning curve is a good idea - though you'll probably find you learn very quickly and your targets expand over the next few months. My current layout project has certainly been a learning curve for me, and it's that element that makes it FUN. Can you imagine churning out the same old stuff, layout after layout - boring! I'll certainly follow your progress. I am definitely not an expert, though there are many of those on the Forum that, hopefully, will contribute their views and ideas. Good luck with the plank! Btw, are you using DCC or DC here? Cheers, Jeff Thankyou for being the first person to reply!!! I would expect this project to be complete by Christmas hopefully. One the main elements of the layout are complete I can play around with the little scenic extras. Expert or not I would like the advice and opinions of yours and others as everyone sees things differently. I will be running DCC as all my stock is DCC fitted. Thanks, Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted October 27, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 27, 2012 Good luck and welcome! You mentioned a sheet of 10mm MDF. Presumably you will be supporting this with a timber subframe? It will need support as it will flex when you move is, and bow if you try to put it on legs without. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Good luck and welcome! You mentioned a sheet of 10mm MDF. Presumably you will be supporting this with a timber subframe? It will need support as it will flex when you move is, and bow if you try to put it on legs without. Thankyou, ive been a lurker or here for some time just never made anything worth mentioning. Untill now ive only ran my trains and used RTR stuff to create scenery. Ive not really considered a subframe as such, I was planning on using pieces of wood on the top modeling surface rather than below as it may need to be placed directly on the floor. These would be used to build up scenery. But as always I will test as I go along and see what works best. Thanks, Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted October 27, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 27, 2012 Ive not really considered a subframe as such, Honestly, you will regret it if you dont. A 2"x1" timber subframe will still sit just as neatly on the floor and strengthen your MDF considerably. It wil also give you an area to run wiring etc under the layout. Once you start modelling you won't be able to go back and do this. Supporting the MDF at 1 foot centres will need only 27 feet of timber - probably less than £15. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Honestly, you will regret it if you dont. A 2"x1" timber subframe will still sit just as neatly on the floor and strengthen your MDF considerably. It wil also give you an area to run wiring etc under the layout. Once you start modelling you won't be able to go back and do this. Supporting the MDF at 1 foot centres will need only 27 feet of timber - probably less than £15. Yeah you are right, I think I will build a subframe to support it. After all any slight bend could potentially ruin the scenic work one complete. Would you suggest glueing would be strong enough or would I have to use screws? Thanks, Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted October 29, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2012 Yeah you are right, I think I will build a subframe to support it. After all any slight bend could potentially ruin the scenic work one complete. Would you suggest glueing would be strong enough or would I have to use screws? Thanks, Sutty Personally I always go for screwed and glued. A bead of glue all around and mabe 8 or 10 screws to locate precisely and to keep all square, flat and secure whilst the glue dries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Personally I always go for screwed and glued. A bead of glue all around and mabe 8 or 10 screws to locate precisely and to keep all square, flat and secure whilst the glue dries. I think thats what I shall do then!!! Leave it with me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty11 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Found it! Looks good, I've just edited Portland Road. Decided I want a DRS depot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Found it! Looks good, I've just edited Portland Road. Decided I want a DRS depot Cheers matey, I hope you enjoy reading about my project as it takes shape. Just read your latest update too the changes sound great Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty11 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Cheers matey, I hope you enjoy reading about my project as it takes shape. Just read your latest update too the changes sound great Thanks, it's based on Wells Green TMD and Warmington Depot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Thanks, it's based on Wells Green TMD and Warmington Depot Nice, I look forward to seeing your progress Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Wil have too keep eye on this one..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Wil have too keep eye on this one..... Thanks, it may be small but I can see alot of potential in it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 30, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 30, 2012 I'm glad you've taken Colin's advice to build a subframe under your MDF. It will make your wiring a lot easier and add considerable rigidity to the board. Post some photos of your progress as you do each step. There are a lot of people on the Forum who enjoy seeing all aspects of a layout from start to finish. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 I'm glad you've taken Colin's advice to build a subframe under your MDF. It will make your wiring a lot easier and add considerable rigidity to the board. Post some photos of your progress as you do each step. There are a lot of people on the Forum who enjoy seeing all aspects of a layout from start to finish. Jeff Yeah it does make more sense to build one, still learning thanks to this websites helpful members!!! I will post progress as I go along only problem is as of yet ive nothing worth posting!!! I will have a small update later tonight though Ive completed my first step. I am one of those members who enjoy following progress on my favourite layouts. Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 A quick update for you... After around 8 hours building time spread over a week I managed to complete my first Metcalfe kit Im pretty happy with the results as they came out even better than expected. For now these buildings are finished but once I have worked on other areas I will detail the models. I plan to add guttering and also modern railway signage such timetables, destination boards, station signs and general information signs. Also I may weather the buildings when I get to that stage. Next on the to do list is the Metcalfe platform kits Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty11 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Looking good Sutty, Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Looking good Sutty, Tom Cheers mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 31, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 31, 2012 You've done a nice job with the kit. Always good to make progress and when you look back on your thread, you'll realise just how much you've achieved! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 You've done a nice job with the kit. Always good to make progress and when you look back on your thread, you'll realise just how much you've achieved! Jeff Thanks, there not perfect but im pretty happy with how they turned out. I look forward to being towards the end and being able to see how much ive learnt and improved. Thanks, Sutty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelW Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 You've done well with the station, you've obviously taken a lot of care over it. Can I make a suggestion though? If you have access to a set of felt-tip pens, have a go at colouring in the white cardboard on the corners - it makes quite a difference! (Though as always, test on a scrap piece to ensure you get a good colour match.) I've tried various ways of doing this, but the felt-tip seems to be the best. I like the simplicity of your plan. I've finally realised that small and simple is more likely to get finished (I don't have the remains of several large attempts sat in my railway room... ). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Just a little thought, have you considered a 'modular' approach? You say that this is your 'learning curve' - presumably you'll be having some sort of storage facility on each end of the layout so you can run "through trains"? You could then build additional boards and as long as the track is at the same positions at each end of the board, then that unit can operate as a 'standalone layout' between your two storage facilities, or alongside the other to make 10ft of scenic plus storage, or more if you build future units. This is of course only limited by the space you have available. In theory it also means you can change the positions of the boards around so you have an almost infinite combination of layouts. In N gauge it's called "Ntrak" - http://www.ntrak.org/ - the Double OO Gauge Association (DOGA) have a standard too - http://www.doubleogauge.com/Modules/modules.htm - which might give you further reading and ideas. Of course, if you use your own standards rather than, say, the DOGA ones, then your boards will only be compatible with your own - but it may just be something to think about. A 5ft layout is easy to work on, and easy to see progress to keep you motivated; a 20ft run may seem overwhelming after a little while which then means you give up before it's finished but split into four modules that you complete one at a time may well be much more achieveable, in time and budgeting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.